Former president Trump will be in Wilmington on Friday. Russell Fry to speak

Congressional candidate Russell Fry is headed to North Carolina on Friday to support Donald Trump, locking in a speaking slot ahead of the former president’s headlining appearance at a Wilmington rally.

Doors open at 2 p.m, with guest speakers slated between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. before Trump is expected to take the Aero Center stage at 1830 Flightline Road.

To sign up for tickets, click here. Limit two per person.

The Surfside Beach attorney defeated Tom Rice in a June primary battle

Fry, a member of the S.C. House of Representatives since 2015, defeated incumbent U.S. Congressman Tom Rice in a heated June primary built around Rice’s impeachment vote, claiming that Trump helped stoked violence that led to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol uprising.

The 37-year-old former state House Majority Whip emerged from a crowded slate of Republican contenders, pulling in more than 51 percent of the vote in a win Fry and his supporters said was a referendum on the kind of servant constituents in the vast 7th congressional district wanted in office.

Fry emerged early as Rice’s biggest rival, partly due to Trump’s backing last February.

“Russell Fry, who is all in for the Palmetto State, has my Complete and Total Endorsement. VOTE TOM RICE OUT NOW!” Trump wrote in a statement.

Though Rice pointed to a voting record that aligned with Trump-era policies more than 90 percent of the time, he couldn’t overcome being one of 10 House Republicans that opted to impeach the president.

Fry capitalized on the vote, cutting several ads skewering Rice for his decision and painting him as out of touch with the GOP base.

Russell Fry shared a stage with Donald Trump on a cold March night in Florence

Fry was a guest of honor during a March 12 “Save America” rally at the Florence Regional Airport, with other big-name Republicans, including Gov. Henry McMaster and S.C. GOP chairman Drew McKissick.

“Donald Trump has made his choice, have you made yours? Are we voting for Tom Rice or are we voting for Russell Fry?” he asked. “I’m proud to have President Trump’s endorsement and I’d be proud to have yours, too.”

Fry slammed Rice for siding with Democrats on some votes, including the impeachment vote. “For years he talked conservative at home but as soon as he got back to Washington and crawled in the swamp he sided with Nancy Pelosi,” Fry said. “I’m running for Congress because it’s time to clean up this mess … leaders that understand its time to get serious, not socialist.”

Russell Fry’s ascent through the state GOP started nearly a decade ago

Fry has been an up-and-coming political star in South Carolina over the past decade. A Republican from Surfside Beach, he joined the Statehouse in September 2015 after winning a special election. He was 30 years old. An attorney by trade, he graduated law school in 2011 and then served as the chairman of the Grand Strand Young Republicans in 2012.

He joined the leadership of the Horry County Republican Party after that. In the House, Fry rose through the ranks and became Chief Majority Whip for the Republicans. He’s worked on legislation to prevent opioid addiction.

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